2024.11.18 CC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Council Meeting Minutes for November 18, 2024 Page 4 of 5 Weidt asked if the one license per 12,500 residents applied only to retail. Gort replied that it did. The City was required to allow the other types of cannabis businesses, but market demand and the zoning code could restrict where they could locate. Petryk had questions on OCM guidance, whether cannabis was considered an agricultural crop, if cannabis could spread to grow inadvertently, and how enforcement and driving under the influence would be handled. Gort replied that the OCM had a draft of rules and a guide for local governments that helped, but a lot was still unknown. Guidance from the county and others was that cannabis would not be considered the same as other agricultural products since it was more regulated. Some communities were restricting growing to industrial areas and other are allowing it in rural areas. Gort talked about the requirements for growing outdoors and said he understood the industry was inclined to grow it indoor, which would minimize the spread. Currently, the Sheriff’s Department was having discussions to address questions of enforcement. Miron talked about how the State preempted some of the City’s abilities, and he questioned whether other performance standards could still be met. Gort replied they would be subject to existing standards along with all other applicable performance standards. Strub talked about encouraging growers to do water reuse and the need to have performance standards requiring plans to mitigate odor if apparent in cultivation and manufacturing businesses. Gort talked about having no limit to the number and size of agricultural buildings on parcels 20 or more acres in size, but there was a building size limit in state statute. He said the OMC also allowed for cultivating and manufacturing businesses under the same roof. Miron commented that cultivators could also process, making impacts more significant. Klein added that it would not be much different than dairy farms that process and distribute. Strub talked about different types of buffers, such as TH61, which buffers the school from the Peloquin Industrial Park saying it would make no sense to create any other buffer that would eliminate an industrial park. Petryk asked about standards regarding consumption. Gort responded that State Statute dictates that cities could restrict consumption to private property or in places not accessible to the public. Retailers could not permit any on site consumption according to State Statute. Weidt indicated he did not have enough information on cannabis events to comment. Gort finished by informing the Council he would be giving the EDA this same presentation on November 19, the Ordinance Review Committee (ORC) would be reviewing it on Monday, and possibly hold the public hearing at the Planning Commission in December.